Video, television, and motion picture cameras must often be positioned in a particular way for a video or film sequence. The camera must also move to follow an action sequence or obtain a desired cinematographic effect. Generally, all movement of the camera must be uniform and smooth without any bumping, rocking, tilting, vibration or other movement that will cause the recorded images to jump when viewed on a screen. A camera dolly or camera dolly is used to provide smooth camera movement.
Conventional camera dollies and pedestals have steering systems which positively steer the wheels of the dolly via the operator turning a steering bar or handle. Steering and positioning the dolly may be challenging, even for an experienced operator, because precise positioning and timing is often required. Many camera dollies having a steering transmission which allows the dolly to be steered in either a crab mode or a corrective mode. The ability to shift between steering modes can help the camera dolly operator move the dolly as desired. Still, improved camera dollies are needed and engineering design challenges remain in designing camera dollies.